Brownsville, Brooklyn

Brownsville is a residential neighborhood of eastern Brooklyn, New York City. Brownsville was founded in 1858 as a slum, and it was inhabited by Jewish factory workers from the 1880s until the 1950s; by 1920, 80% of the area's 100,000 residents were Russian Jewish immigrants. The neighborhood was the birthplace of the infamous Murder, Inc. gang during the 1930s, one of the most feared Jewish Mob organizations. During the 1950s, the area underwent a major demographic change, with African-Americans and Hispanics moving into new public housing developments as the Jews, now becoming middle- and upper-class citizens, moved into the suburbs or richer parts of Brooklyn. By 1970, 77% of the area's 130,00 residents were black and 19% Puerto Rican, and most of them were poor. Due to several arson attacks and a high concentration of burned-out buildings and empty lots during the 1970s, the area was nicknamed "Bombsville" by Mayor John Lindsay. However, the crime rate decreased during the 1980s. The neighborhood remained poor, with 39% of residents falling under the poverty line in 2013, and no gentrification took place in the area, as it was not a historic area, appealing to migrants, or near gentrified areas; instead, it was near Flatbush, East New York, and Ocean Hill. In 2010, Brownsville had a population of 58,300 people, with 76.1% being African-American, 20.6% Hispanic, .8% white, .3% Native American, .7% Asian, 1.2% multiracial. .3% other, and almost 0% (13 people) Pacific islander.